Caponata siciliana — sweet-and-sour aubergines with celery, capers and olives

Name: Caponata siciliana — sweet-and-sour aubergines with celery, capers and olives
Prep time: 60 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 350 g Aubergines (1 large or 2 small aubergines, firm and glossy); 80 g Extra virgin olive oil (8 tbsp: 6 for frying the aubergine (3 per batch), 1 for the soffritto and 1 to drizzle over before serving); 100 g Celery (2 stalks, with a few leaves); 100 g Yellow onions (1 small onion, finely sliced); 150 g Tomatoes, vine or round (1 large ripe tomato, cut into 1 cm dice); 15 g Double-concentrated tomato purée (1 tbsp); 20 g Capers (2 tbsp, rinsed; preferably salt-packed, soaked for 10 minutes); 40 g Pitted green olives in brine (10 plain green olives in brine (without chilli or lemon), rinsed and halved); 30 g White wine vinegar (2 tbsp (30 ml)); 8 g White sugar (2 tsp); 15 g Pine nuts (1 heaped tbsp, toasted); 12 g Raisins (1 tbsp for the Palermo version, soaked in the vinegar); 8 g Fresh basil (8 leaves, torn just before serving); 4 g Coarse salt (1 tsp, for drawing moisture from the aubergine); 2 g Fine salt (1/2 level tsp for the sauce; taste first, as the capers and olives are already salty); 1 g Ground black pepper (1/2 tsp); 80 g Bread (baguette or country loaf) (2 slices of country bread, toasted just before serving)

pareve Italian · regular · 105 min, including 60 hands-on

Tender cubes of fried aubergine in a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce with celery, capers and green olives, finished with pine nuts and basil: Sicily's great cold starter, even better the next day.

Ingredients for two

350 g	Aubergines 1 large or 2 small aubergines, firm and glossy
80 g	Extra virgin olive oil 8 tbsp: 6 for frying the aubergine (3 per batch), 1 for the soffritto and 1 to drizzle over before serving
100 g	Celery 2 stalks, with a few leaves
100 g	Yellow onions 1 small onion, finely sliced
150 g	Tomatoes, vine or round 1 large ripe tomato, cut into 1 cm dice
15 g	Double-concentrated tomato purée 1 tbsp
20 g	Capers 2 tbsp, rinsed; preferably salt-packed, soaked for 10 minutes
40 g	Pitted green olives in brine 10 plain green olives in brine (without chilli or lemon), rinsed and halved
30 g	White wine vinegar 2 tbsp (30 ml)
8 g	White sugar 2 tsp
15 g	Pine nuts 1 heaped tbsp, toasted
12 g	Raisins 1 tbsp for the Palermo version, soaked in the vinegar (optional)
8 g	Fresh basil 8 leaves, torn just before serving
4 g	Coarse salt 1 tsp, for drawing moisture from the aubergine
2 g	Fine salt 1/2 level tsp for the sauce; taste first, as the capers and olives are already salty
1 g	Ground black pepper 1/2 tsp
80 g	Bread (baguette or country loaf) 2 slices of country bread, toasted just before serving (optional)

Method

Cut the unpeeled aubergine into 2.5 cm cubes, put them in a colander with the coarse salt, toss and leave to drain over the sink for 30 minutes, until droplets appear on the surface. Meanwhile, cut the celery into 1 cm pieces (chop the leaves separately), finely slice the onion, dice the tomato, rinse the capers (if salt-packed, soak in lukewarm water for 10 minutes, then drain), and rinse and halve the olives. If using raisins, put them in a small bowl with the vinegar and leave to plump up while the aubergine drains.
While the aubergine is still draining, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the celery for 3 minutes: it should soften slightly without becoming limp and lose its raw taste. Drain. Toast the pine nuts in a dry 28 cm frying pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, shaking the pan constantly until lightly golden, then transfer to a bowl.
Quickly rinse the aubergine and squeeze it dry in a clean tea towel: thoroughly dry cubes will fry rather than boil. Heat 30 g oil (3 tbsp) in the same pan over a high heat. When a cube sizzles immediately on contact, add half the aubergine in a single layer and leave undisturbed for 2 minutes. Turn and fry for another 5–6 minutes, turning twice, until golden on all sides, puffed up and soft inside when pressed (if the pan dries out before they are ready, add 1 tbsp oil). Transfer to kitchen paper and repeat with 30 g oil and the remaining cubes, never overcrowding the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium, add 10 g oil and the onion, and cook, stirring, for 7–8 minutes until translucent and lightly golden. Add the celery and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée for 30 seconds until darker and fragrant. Add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes: it will release its juices before the sauce thickens and darkens.
For the agrodolce, sprinkle in the sugar and stir for 30 seconds until dissolved. Pour in the vinegar (with the raisins, if using) and boil over a high heat for 2 minutes, until the sharp vapours mellow and the sauce turns glossy and syrupy. Add the capers and olives.
Return the aubergine to the pan and fold gently through the sauce over a low heat for 2 minutes, coating the cubes without crushing them. Taste, then season with salt (no more than 2 g, as the capers and olives are already salty) and pepper. The caponata should be distinctly sweet and sour: add 1 tsp vinegar if too sweet, or a pinch of sugar if too sharp. Turn off the heat.
Leave to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes to serve lukewarm. Better still, transfer to a dish, cover and refrigerate overnight, then take it out 30 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature, scattered with the pine nuts, torn basil and celery leaves, with a drizzle of the remaining 10 g olive oil and the toasted bread.

Lighter version

Extra virgin olive oil : 30 g

Preheat the oven to 220°C while the aubergine drains. Instead of frying in step 3, spread the dried cubes on a baking tray, toss thoroughly with 20 g oil and roast at 220°C for 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and tender. Meanwhile, heat 10 g oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and make the soffritto and agrodolce (steps 4 and 5). Add the roasted aubergine to the pan in step 6. Do not add a final drizzle of oil when serving.

Roast the aubergine instead of frying it, using 30 g oil rather than 80 g, with the same sweet-and-sour sauce. Slightly less melting, but still delicious.

On your plate

Recipe

663 kcal · protein 9 g · carbs 41 g · fat 50 g

Quantities per person

175 g Aubergines
40 g Extra virgin olive oil
50 g Celery
50 g Yellow onions
75 g Tomatoes, vine or round
7.5 g Double-concentrated tomato purée
10 g Capers
20 g Pitted green olives in brine
15 g White wine vinegar
4 g White sugar
7.5 g Pine nuts
6 g Raisins
4 g Fresh basil
2 g Coarse salt
1 g Fine salt
0.5 g Ground black pepper
40 g Bread (baguette or country loaf)

Cooking tips

Best made the day before: allow 75 minutes, with no need to wait for it to cool before serving. Caponata improves as it stands and keeps in a jar in the fridge for 4 days. It is an ideal starter for Shabbat lunch; double the quantities for the week. Serve with toasted country bread. For a Catania-style variation, fry a sliced red pepper with the aubergine; for a Palermo touch, add the raisins and a pinch of cinnamon. Warm leftovers gently in a frying pan as a sauce for 220 g short pasta, such as rigatoni, or spread on bread with ricotta for a meat-free supper.

Equipment : 28 cm frying pan, colander, small saucepan, kitchen paper, clean tea towel, baking tray (for the lighter version)

Sicily, drawing on the Palermo and Catania versions: a sweet-and-sour dish of Arab-Sicilian origin, served cold as an antipasto.